The 8 Beers that Made My Career: James Watt, BrewDog

Ask most people to name a Scottish brewery, and you’re likely to be met with a long, awkward silence. While certainly as proficient as the English when it comes to consuming beer, the Scots haven’t made as big of a splash on the world beer scene as their neighbors to the south, instead staking their boozy rep on peaty whiskeys. Beyond the likes of Belhaven and Innis & Gunn, you simply don’t hear that much about Scottish brewing.

BrewDog is on a mission to change that, and they are not asking for attention—they’re demanding it. Since launching their brand in 2007, buddies James Watt and Martin Dickie have established a reputation one of the most progressive—and, more to the point, provocative—breweries in the world. They’ve set records for making the most alcoholic beer ever, selling the most recent installment in real taxidermied roadkill. They’ve made an ale laced with Viagra to celebrate Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding. And they’ve publicly exposed booze giant Diageo for shady dealings.

Shaking up the status quo—in this case, “industrially brewed lagers and stuffy ales”—is one of BrewDog’s specialties, and there are times when grabbing headlines seems to be their raison d’etre. But behind all the hijinks and guerilla-marketing gimmicks is a deep and faithful passion for great beer. So while it might be the 32%-ABV Tactical Nuclear Penguin that gets your attention, it’s the stellar flagship beers like Punk IPA—a near-perfect mashup of biscuity British malts and American hops—that will make you a lifelong fan.

Ultimately, it’s this combination of middle-finger-to-the-sky pot stirring and great beer that has made BrewDog more than just a brewery—it’s a movement, with a clear mission and a rabid fan base. The proof is in the pudding: Since initiating Equity for Punks in 2009—a progressive plan to sell shares of the company online, directly to fans—BrewDog has more than 6,500 beer-loving investors and has reliably been Britain’s fastest-growing brewery year to year.

So, what is the method to all the madness? Here, James Watt (@BrewDogJames) takes us through the eight beers that have defined BrewDog’s frequently delicious—and always entertaining—evolution.

1. Punk IPA

Punk IPA would have to be where the story begins. It is our flagship beer and probably the one we are most famous for. It’s an American style IPA with our own twist—it still retains bitterness, but with hints of tropical fruit flavors.

2. End of History

You couldn’t faithfully tell the story of BrewDog without mentioning some of our colorful ideas. That said, we never embark on creating a beer just for the sake of it, there is a method to our madness. We are always aiming to expand the possibilities of what can be achieved with beer; we hate restrictions and boundaries, so chances are when there are set rules, BrewDog would most likely break them. We did this with End of History, which was a 55%-ABV (alcohol by volume) beer that we brewed to beat the Germans [Brewdog has been in an arms race with German brewery Schorschbrau to make the world’s most alcoholic beer], and presented it in taxidermied roadkill. We got some stick for that, but End of History is not meant to be consumed in pint glasses—it’s to be drunk like good scotch. Beers don't need to be drunk en masse, ticking Saturday night off your to-do list. Savor them. You do it with wine; it's time for beer to get that love.

3 & 4. Tokyo* and Nanny State

Next on the list would probably be Tokyo*, a smooth imperial stout made with Galena hops and aged on toasted French oak chips. It’s a delicately crafted beer aimed at getting beer drinkers to notice the nuances of flavor. If we mention Tokyo* we have to also include Nanny State, which we brewed in response to the unwarranted backlash received from brewing Tokyo* [for example, U.K. drinks industry watchdog Portman Group went after them in 2008 for "aggressive marketing"]. Nanny State is a 0.5% ABV ale, so low in alcohol it doesn’t technically qualify as beer and is exempt from beer duty. But as I said earlier, we put our all into every single creation, and while Nanny State was released to make a statement, we still made sure that it tasted awesome. We stuffed it with more hops than any beer we had brewed prior to that, and we also used eight different specialty malts. Nanny State wasn’t just an afterthought or a side project—it’s a hell of beer in its own right.

5 & 6. Sunk Punk and Never Mind the Anabolics

Our next offering in the BrewDog story is Sunk Punk, a beer that encapsulates quite perfectly what BrewDog is about. It’s a great IPA we brewed at the bottom of the North Sea in a specially designed tank that flew the Jolly Roger. Insane? Probably. Awesome? Hell yes. Along those lines of unexpected ideas, Never Mind the Anabolics should probably have a place in the pantheon of memorable BrewDog beers. It’s another pale ale, but this time infused with ginseng, kola nut, matcha tea, and several other ingredients that professional athletes aren’t allowed to consume. Never Mind the Anabolics was our way taking the wheels off the bandwagon and sticking two fingers up at the mismatch between what the Olympics stood for and the fact they were being sponsored by fast food and yellow, fizzy lager.

7. The Abstrakt Series

There are several other beers that we think we should mention—each of our creations has a story to tell, some more interesting than others. Our continuous effort to push the limits of the perceptions of beer led to our Abstrakt range, which is a limited-edition, concept-beer range. The latest Abstrakt edition, AB:11, is a black barleywine with ginger, black raspberries, and chipotle peppers. The explosion of all those flavors in your mouth is absolutely heavenly. Our AB:05 edition was a Belgian imperial stout aged on coconut and cacao; with AB:07, we aged ale in a whisky cask. We have always—and will always—continue to rail against complacency in beer-making. There is a tremendous thirst out there for well-crafted, innovative, flavorsome beer, and this thirst is going largely unquenched.

8. Zeitgeist

Finally, we’ll have to include Zeitgeist, a rich, malty black lager that will change your life. [There's a bit of mystery surrounding Zeitgeist, and James left it at that. But you can learn more about this innovative schwarzbier, a historic German style, on the dedicated site for the beer.]

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